Jammu. Eight soldiers were injured in an encounter that broke out between security forces and terrorists in a remote forest area of Kishtwar district in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. The officers provided this information. Officials said there was a fierce exchange of fire between the two sides for hours. He said that the firing has stopped at present. According to officials, additional forces have been deployed to strengthen the cordon and neutralize the terrorists. The operation, launched by the Army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps under the name ‘Operation Trashi-1’, began in the afternoon.
‘White Knight Corps’ told ‘X’ that during the search as part of the joint anti-terrorist operation being conducted in collaboration with Jammu and Kashmir Police, the security forces encountered terrorists in Sonnar area, north-east of Chatru.
“Additional forces have been deployed to strengthen the cordon and the operation is underway in close coordination with the civil administration and security agencies,” the Army said. The Army commended the soldiers for displaying exceptional professionalism and steadfastness while responding to the firing in challenging geographical conditions and terrain.
intermittent firing
Officials said a search party encountered two-three foreign terrorists, allegedly belonging to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed. He said that these terrorists fired indiscriminately and threw grenades in an attempt to break the cordon and escape. He said that the security forces retaliated and additional personnel of the Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and police were sent to the spot to further tighten the cordon. He said that intermittent firing between the two sides continued till 5.40 pm.
third encounter
Officials said eight soldiers were injured during the encounter and were taken to hospital. He said that most of the injured suffered injuries due to shrapnel emanating from the blast in the hand grenade. Officials said advanced surveillance equipment including drones and sniffer dogs have been deployed to expedite the operation. This is the third encounter between security forces and terrorists in Jammu region this year. Earlier, encounters had taken place on January 7 and 13 in Kahog and Najote forests of Bilwar area of Kathua district.
Terrorists looking for infiltration before Republic Day
On December 15 last year, a police officer was killed in an encounter with terrorists in Soan village of Majalta area of Udhampur district, while the terrorists managed to escape taking advantage of the dense forest and darkness.
The encounter follows a major anti-terrorist operation launched in December last year to flush out around three dozen terrorists hiding in the forest area of Jammu region, officials said. He said that the operation has been intensified to ensure peaceful celebrations before the Republic Day, as intelligence has been received that the handlers of terrorists sitting in Pakistan are planning to send more terrorists.